


As the Strings of Time Unravel

by honeybeb



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst and Fluff, Bittersweet Ending, Memory Loss, Short & Sweet, Time Travelling Karl Jacobs, lil bit angsty, no beta we die like pets on the smp, ranboo is best boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29054325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeybeb/pseuds/honeybeb
Summary: "Maybe one day he’ll be left a shell of what he once was, floating between centuries with no memory of the past and no premonitions of the future."Forgetting things can be very concerning sometimes.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Karl Jacobs & Sapnap, Karl Jacobs & Ranboo
Comments: 12
Kudos: 229





	As the Strings of Time Unravel

The wind is crisp and bites at his cheeks as he stands, but Karl doesn’t notice. He’s too deep in thought. Too concentrated on trying, trying to remember. 

“Where am I?” He mutters, examining his surroundings. 

There’s roads and buildings in front of him that he should probably remember, but he doesn’t. The world in front of him is a fog, thick and hazy, obscuring what he should be seeing right in front of him. 

He steps forwards from where he stands, limbs shaky and foreign. He knows that feeling, the cloudy head and jelly legs that come with the jumping. 

How often had he been jumping recently? It’s not like he didn’t jump before, but those were small and infrequent, saved for very important things. Before..before what exactly? 

Oh, right. Dream. Before Dream and his vice-like grip over the SMP. Before he twisted the minds and broke the bones of men and children alike. Before Karl had to take up a new cause, a desperate attempt to save the future and in turn, the present. 

He traveled and jumped back and forth, dancing along the fragile strings that wove together to make their delicate timeline. Delicate feet careful to not tread too hard and leave footprints in the times where he was supposed to be nothing but bones and dust. 

He knew he could change the timeline, he’d done it before. Dipped his fingers in and plucked at the tightly wound strings. But time was a funny thing, and didn’t exactly take well to being tampered with. There was chaos and anger from people who were supposed to be kind and caring and familiar faces that were supposed to take him in and hug him tight, struck his face and cast him away. All he wanted to do was help, but it always backfired. 

The wars and battles were both meaningless and painful beyond end for him. There was no reason for him to participate, he already knew who would win, whether or not he joined forces with someone. There was no point in playing the pointless political games and warfare of silent alliances. He knew Schlatt would be president and he knew he would die. He knew that Wilbur would try to blow up L’Manberg, and after breaking the first button, he knew it was inevitable. 

He also knew who would die. Who would lay on the battlefield, bleeding out on the hard soil beneath until they exhaled their last breath, who would fall to their knees begging their own father to just kill them already. So, he stayed away from the conflicts. 

A prickly sensation in the tips of his fingers brings him back from the thoughts stewing in his head. 

He raises his hands, tapping his fingers together. His eyes watch as the fingers touch each other, but his nerves don’t seem to get the same message. He doesn’t feel them. Well it’s not like this is the first time something like this has happened. 

He continues rubbing his hands together and notices two dainty bands on his fingers. They’re very pretty, one silver and thin with light engravings on it, the other gold, a more heavy duty ring that’s simple and would last a lifetime. He can’t seem to remember where he got them from though. 

Maybe they were a gift from someone he once knew. 

The frequent jumps take a toll on his body and mind, which manifests as his current state. Standing somewhere, lost and confused with tingling extremities. Though, he notes, it’s usually gone by now. 

Maybe one day the fog and the numbness will never leave. Maybe one day he’ll be left a shell of what he once was, floating between centuries with no memory of the past and no premonitions of the future. Maybe the people he’s supposed to love and care about will become nothing but empty faces in a timeline that wasn’t supposed to exist. 

Well, that’s something to think about another time. Karl wasn’t ready to let that happen today, still too much left to do and record. 

A voice calls out in front of him and he looks up. 

A tall...person? Creature? Karl isn’t sure what exactly they are, but someone is walking towards him, a smile on their color-split face. 

“Karl!” They call out. “How are you?” I haven’t seen you around recently.” 

Karl pauses, taking a barely noticeable step back from the person. Is he supposed to know this person? It’s probably best to just play along with what the person is saying, creating alarm is the last thing that Karl wants to do. 

“Uh, yeah,” He thinks for a second. He probably disappeared for a few days because of the jump. “I’ve been a bit busy recently.” 

He screws his face up in concentration, trying to desperately catch his fingers on the unraveling strings on his memory. 

“You alright there man?” The tall person inquires. “You look a bit spaced out.” 

Karl turns to the person. 

“I’m fine,” He sighs. “Just having trouble remembering something, I think.” 

The smile on the face of the person saddens. 

“Ah, memory problems. I can relate to you on that.” They chuckle. 

They wave their hand over to a patch of grass. 

“Come on, let’s sit, maybe it’ll help you remember what you’ve forgotten.” 

Karl steps, hesitantly so, towards the grass. He sits cross legged on the soft dewy grass. 

His eyes sweep the area in front of him. 

“Hey,” the person nudges him with their elbow. “Wasn’t your hoodie a different color the last time I saw you.” 

His hoodie? He looks down at the fabric. Huh, Ranboo’s right, it is a different color than normal. 

Wait. Ranboo? 

That’s right! He turns to the person next to him. 

“Ranboo!” He says, gleeful to finally have remembered something. 

The young enderman hybrid turns his head towards Karl, matching his enthusiasm. 

“Karl!”

Karl laughs and turns to look at the horizon in front of him, the fog over his mind slowly lifting as he sees the familiar formations of buildings in the distance. There’s a quiet peace over the SMP that normally isn’t there. Karl smiles.

Forgetting is worth it if it means that everyone else will get to remember.

**Author's Note:**

> hey y'all i hope you liked this!! i was debating posting it bc it's so short but hey i like it sjhgfkjd  
> also kudos and comments are very greatly appreciated mwah!!  
> say hi on [twitter!](https://twitter.com/honey_beb_)


End file.
